Chapter XI - Into the Interior

CHAPTER XI

INTO THE INTERIOR

"Oh, dear!" cried Grace, as she shrank back against Betty. gridò Grace, mentre si ritraeva contro Betty. "Oh, dear." "Those—those men," breathed Amy, who also seemed to be looking about for some sort of physical support. "Quegli... quegli uomini", disse Amy, che sembrava anch'essa cercare un qualche tipo di sostegno fisico. "See, Betty!" They both seemed to depend on the "Little Captain" in this emergency. Entrambi sembravano dipendere dal "Piccolo Capitano" in questa emergenza. As for Mollie, her dark eyes flashed, and she looked at Betty with a nod of encouragement. A Mollie brillarono gli occhi scuri e guardò Betty con un cenno di incoraggiamento. Whatever happened, these two would stand together, at any rate. Qualunque cosa accadesse, questi due sarebbero rimasti uniti, in ogni caso.

"Don't be silly!" "Non essere sciocco!" exclaimed Betty, stilling the wild beating of her own heart by the reflection that she must be brave for the sake of others. esclamò Betty, calmando il battito selvaggio del suo cuore con la riflessione che doveva essere coraggiosa per il bene degli altri.

"But they are coming right toward us!" gasped Grace, making a move as though to hide in the cabin. sussultò Grace, muovendosi come per nascondersi nella cabina.

"Of course they are!" exclaimed Mollie, quickly. "They are going to help us; aren't they, Betty?" "I'm sure I hope so," was the low-voiced answer. "One thing, girls, speak very carefully. "Una cosa, ragazze, parlate con molta attenzione. Sound carries very distinctly over water, you know." "They are coming toward us," added Amy, shrinking closer to Betty. "Vengono verso di noi", aggiunse Amy, avvicinandosi a Betty. There was no doubt of that. The eyes of all in the approaching motor boat, which was a powerful craft, were fixed on the girls in the Gem , and it was a strange sight to see the eyes of the colored men, with so much of the white showing in contrast to their dark faces, staring fixedly at our friends. Gli occhi di tutti i passeggeri del motoscafo in avvicinamento, che era un'imbarcazione potente, erano fissi sulle ragazze della Gemma, ed era uno strano spettacolo vedere gli occhi degli uomini di colore, con così tanto bianco in contrasto con i loro volti scuri, fissare le nostre amiche. Grace caught herself in a half-hysterical laugh. Grace si sorprese in una mezza risata isterica.

"They looked just like those queer china dolls," she explained afterward. "Sembravano proprio quelle strane bambole di porcellana", spiegò in seguito. The white man steering the boat was almost as dark in complexion as were his companions, but at least he was white—the girls were sure of that. L'uomo bianco che guidava la barca era di carnagione scura quasi quanto i suoi compagni, ma almeno era bianco - le ragazze ne erano sicure.

"I guess they know we have run on a sand bar," Betty explained, in as calm a voice as she could bring to her need. "Credo che sappiano che siamo finiti su un banco di sabbia", spiegò Betty, con la voce più calma possibile. "They are avoiding it themselves." "Lo stanno evitando loro stessi". As she spoke the other boat made a wide sweep and then, having gone down past the Gem , it again swept in on a curve, now being headed up stream. Mentre parlava, l'altra imbarcazione fece un'ampia virata e poi, dopo aver superato la Gemma, si avvicinò di nuovo con una curva, dirigendosi ora verso la corrente.

"Stuck?" called the white steersman, and his voice was not unpleasant, though a bit domineering, Betty thought.

"But perhaps this is because he is used to giving orders," she reflected. "Yes; we are on a sand bar, I'm afraid," she answered, and smiled. "Look natural!" "Guarda la naturalezza!". she commanded to the others a moment later, her voice not reaching the men in the other craft, she felt sure, for the clutch of the relief boat had been thrown out and the engine was racing, making considerable noise. comandò agli altri un attimo dopo, ma la sua voce non raggiunse gli uomini dell'altra imbarcazione, ne era certa, perché la frizione della barca di soccorso era stata tirata fuori e il motore stava correndo, facendo un notevole rumore. "Look as though we expected this," Betty commanded. "Fate come se ce lo aspettassimo", ordinò Betty. "There's nothing to fear. "Non c'è nulla da temere. We are not far from home." "Lots of folks get stuck on that bar," went on the man, who was bringing his boat into a position favorable for giving aid to the Gem . "It ought to be buoyed, or marked in some way. "Dovrebbe essere boccheggiata, o segnalata in qualche modo. You're strangers around here, I take it," he went on. Immagino che siate estranei da queste parti", proseguì. "Yes, from Mr. Stonington's orange grove," said Betty, simply. "If you will kindly pull us off this bar we will gladly pay you for your trouble." "Se gentilmente ci tirate fuori da questo bar, saremo lieti di pagarvi per il disturbo". Was it fancy, or did Betty detect fierce and eager gleams in the eyes of the colored men? Si trattava di fantasia o Betty scorgeva bagliori feroci e impazienti negli occhi degli uomini di colore?

"Oh, shucks!" "Oh, accidenti!" exclaimed the steersman, quickly. "I've pulled lots of bigger boats than yours off that bar. And not for pay, neither. E nemmeno a pagamento. Can you catch a rope?" Riesci a prendere una corda?". "Oh, yes," said Mollie, quickly, determined to second Betty's efforts to appear at ease. "Oh, sì", disse Mollie, in fretta, decisa ad assecondare gli sforzi di Betty per apparire a suo agio. "We've done considerable cruising." "Abbiamo fatto molte crociere". "That's good. Well, you want to know this river before you do much more. È bene conoscere questo fiume prima di fare molto altro. It's treacherous. È insidioso. Sam, throw that rope while I put us up a little closer," he commanded. Sam, lancia quella corda mentre io ci metto un po' più vicini", comandò. "Yes, boss," was the reply of a big colored man in the bow. "Sì, capo", fu la risposta di un grosso uomo di colore a prua. Both Mollie and Betty grasped for the rope as it came uncoiling toward them. Sia Mollie che Betty si aggrapparono alla corda che si srotolava verso di loro.

"That's good," complimented the man. "È buono", si complimentò l'uomo. "Now can you make it fast? "Ora puoi fare in fretta? Have you a ring-bolt there?" Hai un bullone ad anello lì?". "No, but there's a deck-cleat," spoke Betty. "No, ma c'è una coperta", disse Betty. "Just the same. Now, then, I'm going to turn about and try to haul you off, pointing my bow down stream. Ora, quindi, mi girerò e cercherò di tirarti fuori, puntando la prua verso la corrente. This boat works better on the direct clutch than in reverse. And when I start to pull, you'd better reverse your motor. Can you do it?" "Oh, yes," answered Betty. "Good. You do know something about boats. Ne sai qualcosa di barche. So you're from the orange grove; eh? I heard the new owner had come on. Need any men down there?" and he seemed quite business-like. e sembrava piuttosto affarista.

"I—I don't know," faltered Betty, looking at Amy. "Non lo so", tentennò Betty, guardando Amy. "Mr. Stonington hasn't told us anything about that. This is his niece," and she nodded at Amy. Questa è sua nipote", e fece un cenno ad Amy. "Oh, is that so! "Oh, è così! Well, if he should happen to need any pickers, I can supply him. Beh, se dovesse aver bisogno di raccoglitori, posso fornirglieli io. Hank Belton is my name. I supply laborers for lots of orange growers and others. Fornisco manovalanza a molti coltivatori di arance e ad altri. I'm the biggest dealer in labor around here; ain't I, boys?" and he appealed to the colored men. e ha fatto appello agli uomini di colore.

"Dat's what you am, boss!" exclaimed one, with a chuckle. esclamò uno, ridacchiando.

"And I always treats my help right, no matter what happens after they hire out; don't I, boys?" "E tratto sempre bene i miei aiutanti, indipendentemente da quello che succede dopo l'assunzione; non è vero, ragazzi?". "Suah!" came in a chorus.

"So just remind Mr. Stonington about me," the man went on with what he evidently meant for a friendly smile, but which made the girls shudder. "Quindi ricordate al signor Stonington di me", proseguì l'uomo con quello che evidentemente voleva essere un sorriso amichevole, ma che fece rabbrividire le ragazze. "My place is at Penbrook—about ten miles up the river. Now, then, have you that rope fast?" Ora, dunque, hai quella corda veloce?". "Yes," answered Betty. "Get ready then—I'm going to pull you. And start your motor as soon as the tow rope gets taut!" E accendete il motore non appena la fune di traino diventa tesa!". "All right," answered Betty in business-like tones. The tow rope straightened out as the other motor boat started down stream. La fune di traino si raddrizzò mentre l'altra barca a motore iniziava a scendere lungo la corrente. Betty watched, and, when she thought the proper time had come, she started her motor on the reverse.

For a moment it seemed that, even with this, the Gem would not come off the bar, and the girls looked anxiously over the side to detect the first motion.

Then there came a quiver to the stranded boat, and a shout from the colored men: Poi si sentì un fremito sulla barca arenata e un grido da parte degli uomini di colore:

"She's movin', boss!" "Si sta muovendo, capo!". "Turn on a little more gas!" cried the steersman to Betty. "I think we have her now!" She speeded up her motor, and in another instant the Gem came free so suddenly that there was danger of a collision.

"Shut down!" called Hank Belton quickly. "You're all right now." Betty turned off the power, and Mollie cast loose the tow rope. Betty spense la corrente e Mollie sciolse la corda di traino.

"Thank you very much," she called to the man. "I wish you would let us pay you," added Betty. "Nary a pay, Miss," was his answer. "Neanche un soldo, signorina", fu la sua risposta. "I'm glad I could help you. Just give my message to Mr. Stonington, and I'll be obliged to you. Better back down a bit before you turn. È meglio indietreggiare un po' prima di svoltare. That bar sticks out a ways. Quella barra sporge un po'. It's a wonder you didn't hit it before. You can't draw much." Non si può disegnare molto". "We don't!" "Non è vero!" answered Betty.

The other boat was proceeding down stream now, the colored men looking back with their rolling eyes. L'altra barca procedeva ora lungo la corrente, mentre gli uomini di colore guardavano indietro con gli occhi sgranati. Betty started her engine on the reverse again, and then, feeling sure that they were beyond the bar, she turned and steered her craft back toward the orange grove. The picnic plan was given up now as it was getting late and the girls were tired.

"Thank goodness that's over!" "Grazie al cielo è finita!". exclaimed Grace, with a sigh of relief. "Oh, I was so frightened!" "At what?" asked Mollie.

"I—I don't know." "Well, it was very kind of them," said Betty. "We might have had to stay there a long time." "And I'm going to tell Uncle Stonington," spoke Amy. "He may want to hire men, for there are many more oranges to pick." Grace sat thoughtfully on the cushions, neglecting even to eat her chocolates.

"'A penny for your thoughts,'" offered Betty. "I was just wondering," said Grace slowly, "that perhaps that man might know something of the labor contractor who has Will in the toils. "Mi stavo solo chiedendo", disse Grace lentamente, "se quell'uomo potesse sapere qualcosa dell'appaltatore del lavoro che ha Will nelle fatiche. I wish I had thought to ask." "That's so!" cried Mollie. "But we can find him again. It will give us something to do, Betty. We can come up the river again." Possiamo risalire il fiume". "And I'll be sure to keep away from that sand bar," declared the Little Captain. "E mi assicurerò di tenermi lontano da quel banco di sabbia", dichiarò il Piccolo Capitano. Mr. and Mrs. Stonington were quite alarmed when the girls told of their adventure.

"They weren't in any real danger," declared Mr. Hammond, the overseer. "Non correvano alcun pericolo reale", ha dichiarato il signor Hammond, il sorvegliante. "The river isn't deep nor swift, and there are boats going up and down quite often." "Il fiume non è profondo né rapido, e ci sono barche che vanno su e giù abbastanza spesso". "But what about those rough men?" "Ma che dire di quegli uomini rudi?". asked Mrs. Stonington.

"Oh, rough is the worst thing you can say against them. They aren't really bad. Belton has the best supply of laborers around here. Belton ha la migliore offerta di manovalanza da queste parti. Probably he was taking those men down to Hanson's grove. Probabilmente stava portando quegli uomini giù al boschetto di Hanson. We will need pickers ourselves next week, Mr. Stonington, and I don't believe we can do any better than to get them from Belton." Avremo bisogno di raccoglitori anche noi la prossima settimana, signor Stonington, e non credo che potremo fare di meglio che prenderli da Belton". "Very well, Mr. Hammond; whatever you say." "And that will be a chance to repay him for his kindness to us," added Betty. "And perhaps we can get some news of my brother," spoke Grace, wistfully, for there had come no word from those who were searching for the missing youth. "E forse potremo avere notizie di mio fratello", disse Grace, malinconicamente, perché non erano giunte notizie da coloro che stavano cercando il giovane scomparso. "I'd like to go and ask myself," went on Grace. "Well, there's no reason why you shouldn't," said Mr. Hammond. "I'll be going up the river in a day or so, and if you think we'll hire of Belton I'll tell him so," he said to Mr. Stonington. "Risalirò il fiume tra un giorno o poco più, e se pensa che assumeremo Belton glielo dirò", disse al signor Stonington. "Yes, if you like, Mr. Hammond." "All right, then I'll pilot the girls to his camp if their boat will hold me." "Va bene, allora piloterò le ragazze fino al suo campo, se la loro barca mi reggerà". "Indeed it will!" "Certo che sì!" exclaimed Betty, "and you can tell me how to avoid sand bars." "Belton's place is a little way into the interior from the river," went on Mr. Hammond, "but it's a safe road." "Then we'll go," decided Betty. The next few days were filled with small incidents of little interest. The girls motored about, and did some fishing in the river, catching a variety of specimens, few of which were pronounced fit for the table. Le ragazze andarono in giro in moto e fecero un po' di pesca nel fiume, catturando una varietà di esemplari, pochi dei quali furono dichiarati adatti alla tavola. But they enjoyed themselves very much. Ma si sono divertiti molto.

They wandered about in the orange grove, eating as much of the delicious fruit as they chose. Si aggirarono nell'aranceto, mangiando tutti i frutti deliziosi che volevano. Sometimes they took walks with Mrs. Stonington, who was slowly regaining her health. Mr. Stonington was kept busy seeing to the details of the business, that was new to him. Il signor Stonington era impegnato a curare i dettagli dell'attività, che per lui era nuova.

One night Mr. Hammond said:

"I think we'll need those pickers to-morrow, or next day, Mr. Stonington." "Very well, then get them. The girls can take you up to Belton's camp." Le ragazze possono portarti al campo di Belton". "And perhaps I can get some word of Will," observed Grace hopefully. The trip up the river was devoid of incident, except that Betty nearly ran on another sand bar, being warned just in time by Mr. Hammond. La risalita del fiume fu priva di incidenti, a parte il fatto che Betty rischiò di finire su un altro banco di sabbia, avvertita appena in tempo dal signor Hammond. Then they reached the landing where Belton's boat was moored. Poi raggiunsero l'approdo dove era ormeggiata la barca di Belton. "That shows he's in camp," said the foreman, as he helped the girls tie the Gem . "Questo dimostra che è al campo", disse il caposquadra, mentre aiutava le ragazze a legare la Gemma. Then they struck off into the interior, not a few doubts tugging at the girls' hearts. Poi si incamminarono verso l'interno, con non pochi dubbi che attanagliavano i cuori delle ragazze. It was very wild and desolate, the Everglades being not far distant. Era molto selvaggia e desolata, dato che le Everglades non erano molto lontane.